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What is Step it Up?

Step it Up is the Super Bowl of step and dance competitions-- teams representing every borough in New York City will battle for the title of champion. It is a chance for talented and passionate dancers to take the stage, showcasing both their skills and the causes they care about.

Step it Up challenges participating teams to declare a cause (Education, Environment, Health, HIV/AIDS, Homelessness, Inequality, Poverty, Violence) and use step and dance to create change in their communities around that cause.

What are the prizes?

The 10 finalist teams will be decked out in Nike gear for the final competition.

The winning team will take home up to $10,000 in cash and prizes, including:

A $2,000 team grant
A Nike ID session where the entire winning team will be able to design their own team shoe
The coveted NYC Battle of the Boroughs championship trophy

Who can enter Step it Up?

Step it Up is open to all kinds of step and dance teams-- from hip-hop and fraternity step to modern dance and ballet. To register as a team on Step it Up, simply click here and follow the directions!

Read the official rules.

How does the competition work?

There are three main phases to Step it Up: Beacon Battle Auditions/Orientation, Battle Zone Competition and, the grand finale, the Battle of the Boroughs.

1. Beacon Battle Auditions/Orientation: May 2-June 3, 2009

Teams register online for Step it Up, declare their cause and participate in a community service project around their cause. Teams must volunteer for an organization or a project related to their cause by June 3, 2009. (Extended to Sunday, June 7,2009 @ 5:00pm EST) This community service project can be anything from volunteering at a soup kitchen to tutoring kids at a public library. For ideas, email stepitup@youthnoise.org.

Teams also have an optional opportunity to audition before a panel of judges to receive feedback and coaching for how to improve their performance scores for the Battle Zone Competition.

Bonus points are available in the following ways:

Attending the May 2 audition/orientation (5 points)
Sending two team representatives to the May 30 community organizing workshop (10 points)

2. Battle Zone Competition: June 4, 2009

10 finalist teams, two from each borough, will be selected to move on to the final round. The finalist teams will create and develop PSAs (video public service announcements) that will be hosted on YouthNoise.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

10:00am-- check-in

Battle Zone Competition

Supportive Children's Advocacy Network (Tentative)

Beacon @ JHS 45

2351 1st Avenue

New York, New York 10035

3. The Battle of the Boroughs: June 30, 2009

The 10 finalist teams will compete to be the winner of the Battle of the Boroughs!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

1:00pm -- 5:00pm (Tech Rehearsal)

5:30pm -- Doors Open